Dozen, Hundred , Thousand, etc.

1) ' a Score'( = 20, in Old English), 'a Dozen' ( = 12 ), a 'hundred'( = 100 ), a 'thousand' ( = 1,000 ), a 'million' ( = 1,000,000 ) and 'a billion' remain in the singular when they are multiplied by a precise number or preceded by 'several', 'a few', 'many'.

Clearly, they are numeric adjectives, and like all adjectives, they always remain in the singular. They are followed by a noun (expressed or not).

ex : How many demonstrators were there in front of the Capitol this morning ? Oh ! There were at least two thousand ...

ex: There are only six hundred people living in this village.

ex : Do you know that there were three thousand, two hundred and forty-five candidates in this worldwide competition.

2) On the contrary, 'ten', 'score', 'dozen', hundred', 'thousand', 'million', 'billion' must be in the plural, when they are followed by 'of ' and by a noun. Indeed, they stop being adjectives and become nouns linked to other nouns by the preposition 'of'.

ex : Dozens of eggs were broken in the collision of the delivery trucks.

ex : Millions of suburbans commute to NYC every morning.

OK ? Got it ? Now that you know the rule, you'll just have to think a little to have a perfect exercise ! Go for it !

, I have dreamt of being someone else :
I could be an explorer visiting a year,
I'd meet ,
would visit , taking notes,
would walk up
and admire , all of them wonderful !
I could also be an intellectual ! (couldn't I?) I'd read ,
study about Quantum Physics !
Between and conference calls,
I'd go to my office and take and as many elevators,
meet ,
drink a day
communicate with living in the far away jungle and then,
write about their incredible ways of living.

But I' m afraid I'll be nobody but a normal New Yorker ... Like and women a day, I'll take the subway,
commute back home with ,
and at home, doze away studying my for the following morning meetings ..
A rat race ? running the same race,
just hoping they'll meet and smiles doing so !!!!